CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Four Months Later
Charley
I haven’t had a low day since we went to the cemetery. My life won’t consist of cupcakes and sunshine, but the gray fog tinting my life with its murky haze has finally lifted. For the first time in four years, I don’t feel like I’m breathing through corrupted lungs.
Revealing the truth was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But when I started, the words slipped out with an easy cadence, as if each syllable carried my broken heart away with them.
Jude and I have been inseparable ever since. The bond we forged that day in the cemetery can’t be broken, and I’ll be eternally grateful that he pushed me to take the next step. I have no doubt I would have eventually found my way to the light, but when I’m around Jude, my life glows brighter, and he led me there much quicker than if I had tried to find it on my own.
We’re walking to meet Bennett and Naomi for brunch like we do on most Sunday mornings. The air still holds a bit of a chill even though spring is starting to invade the city. I’ve never been a “spring” kind of girl, but this year, for once, my life seems to parallel the changing seasons. Jude’s hand wraps around mine in a secure grip and I slide my gaze over to take him in. He’s dressed down in worn jeans, and a long sleeved tee-shirt, rolled up to his forearms. That short, sexy stubble is ever present, toughening his already gorgeous appearance. His soft blue eyes catch me staring and I smile wide, proud of being caught ogling the man that I get to call mine.
“Can I help you, Ms. Whitlock?” he asks with a dubious smirk.
“Oh, I’m merely observing,” I offer innocently. With a knowing smile, I turn back to the street, exuding confidence and ease. I wish we could sneak away somewhere before breakfast. Normally Jude wakes me up early enough so that we can make love before starting the day, but we both overslept, leaving me desirous and greedy.
He narrows one of his eyes skeptically, “Mhm, yeah. Your eyes say differently.”
My hip bumps into him teasingly, “Enlighten me.”
He rubs his chiseled jaw. “They have a little heat behind them, like you want to cut this breakfast short.”
I toss my head back and laugh because he’s absolutely right. “You’re lucky I let you leave the apartment at all.”
“Mrs. Jenkins thinks I’m your sex slave,” he teases with a wicked grin.
“What?! Yeah, right. She’s half in love with you herself,” I point out with raised brows.
He shrugs nonchalantly, “She didn’t like me at first.”
“I know. You brought me home drunk,” I joke.
“That’s not the way I remember it… but sure thing, Angel.” He tugs me into his side, wrapping his arm around my waist.
I’d stay in this little cocoon all day if I could. “She’s been hounding me about being home more,” I admit as I recall our conversation from earlier this week. Most nights Jude and I stay together, but since his apartment has a king size bed, we usually end up staying there.
I feel his head nod above me. “Should I invite her to my apartment with us?”
I laugh, “She’d probably enjoy it.”
“We’d get some of her awesome coffee cake,” he points out, as if actually contemplating the silly idea.
“Sounds like a win-win.”
Suddenly, his body stops propelling us forward and he tugs me back beneath the awning of a nearby shop.
“What is it?” I ask. The shop hasn’t opened yet and the linked security bars clink together behind us as I stare up toward him. His expression is completely indiscernible, but I quell the nerves beginning to spread through me.
He tugs a hand through his unruly hair and I fight the urge to twirl my finger through the strands in his wake. “Charley, before we get there I need to talk to you about something.”
“Wow. That sounds ominous,” I quip, trying to lighten the mood, but my eyebrows still bunch together in concern. “What’s up?”
He takes a deep breath and wraps his arms around my waist so that our lower bodies are connected. His hand starts rubbing small circles on my back as he speaks, “You know how the magazine called me last month to offer me a freelance position?”
“Yes…” I answer hesitantly, no longer able to push the uneasiness aside. He’s leaving. When they called I knew he would have to leave, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.
He squeezes me closer, his charming gaze never faltering. “They talked to me about another opportunity, and I want to get your opinion about it.”
“You can’t leave,” I stutter, already preparing for the worst case scenario. Way to play it cool, Charley.
“Charley, pause.” His leans down to kiss me softly, but he pulls away before I can fully lose myself in the taste of him. “You haven’t even heard everything yet.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay. I’m listening.”
“They want me to do a three month assignment overseas. I’ll be traveling through various countries, but I said I would only go if I could bring along an assistant of sorts.”
My eyes go wide. Please bring me. Please say you want me to come. “What? Who are you taking with you?”
He glances down from my eyes toward my lips, and then a cheeky grin breaks across his face. “I’m only going if you come with me. It’s non-negotiable.”
“But I…” I begin to protest, for no other reason than it seems too good to be true.
“…Am painting,” he finishes. “You have enough saved from your photo shoots and you told me you wanted to take the next year off. What if you traveled with me? You could paint along the way. We could ship your canvases home as we go.”
I absorb his words. It’s too good to true. How is this my life?
He bends down, kissing the skin beneath my ear and making me break out in a bloom of goose bumps. “All I know is that I’m not going without you.”
Holy hell.
“Where would we go first?” I ask, buying myself more time to process everything.
“We’d fly into Rome.” He kisses me gently. His minty breath captures me under his spell and I feel my toes curl inside my boots.
“Then?”
“Greece.” He gives me a peck. “Turkey,” he says, adding another kiss. “Syria, Egypt— Around to Morocco, Spain, and France.”
A shiver runs down my spine as his mouth possesses me, and I know my voice sounds shaky as I ask, “Is your assignment just around the Mediterranean?”
“Yes, I’ll be shooting for a piece they’re writing about Urbanization on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. While I’m there I’ll have small assignments along the way. But we’ll be traveling at our own pace. After I get the photos I need at each location, we can explore until we’re ready to move onto the…”
I cut him off midway through his sentence as I leap up into his arms. My mind was made up the moment he said he was leaving the country, but I had to let it sink in. My arms wrap around his neck and my feet dangle a foot or so off the ground as he holds me like a ragdoll. “Yes. Absolutely yes. When do we leave?”
“You’ll come with me?”
“Yes!”
His dimpled grin melts my heart and his blue eyes dance with excitement. “I haven’t confirmed with them, but it would be within the next few weeks. We can arrange everything with your apartment before then.”
This is happening. We’re going abroad together.
“I’m so excited.” Then a sudden realization sinks in. “Why did you need to tell me before we met up with Bennett and Naomi?”
His smile widens. “I want them to meet us in one of the destinations. I was going to bring it up at breakfast. The magazine just confirmed everything yesterday, and I couldn’t work up the nerve to ask you until just now.”
“Because you thought I’d say no?”
His gaze penetrates mine with easy confidence. “Oh, no,” he answers confidently. “If you had said no, I would have just invited Mrs. Jenkins.” He waggles his eyebrows p
layfully.
“Jude!” I swat his arm, hitting solid muscle, but he drops me back onto my feet and takes off down the street with his hand outstretched for me to latch onto. The early morning sun encases him like a golden backdrop and I have to hold my hands over my eyes like a visor to make out his silhouette.
“C’mon! We’re gonna be late for breakfast, slow poke,” he yells back to me, but I don’t budge. I stand there, telling myself to remember this moment in the back of my mind, knowing my life will never be the same.
The smile that forms on my lips nearly splits my cheeks in half as I try to contain every emotion short-circuiting through me. I was so used to the gloom, the loneliness, the pain, the fog, but this is the exact opposite.
This is blissful oblivion.
Acknowledgments
It goes without saying that I would be no where without the love and support from my family. They’re unconditional support means the world to me.
Mom, there are no words to describe how much you mean to me! Thank you for your help with critiquing this book and for listening to me ramble everyday about story ideas.
Lance, this book would have never been written without you. You’re better than any main character I could ever cast in my life. I try in vain to create characters that have even half the heart and personality that you exude every day. I love you to the moon and back.
Thank you for all of my beta readers: Stacey Lynn, Jessica Ingro, TK Rapp, you all gave wonderful feedback, and many of the best scenes in this book wouldn’t have come alive without you all.
To my amazing editor over at Taylor K.’s Editing Services. She was such a pleasure to work with!
Thank you to everyone who accepted an ARC edition of this book and going out on a limb. Your kind feedback has been more than I could have ever asked for.
To all of my fellow indie authors. I’m part of a wonderful community of men and women that support each other day in and day out.
Sneak peek into:
With This Heart
by R.S. Grey
Coming in Spring 2014
Goodreads HERE
Synopsis:
My name is Abby Mae McAllister. When I was nineteen I made a series of reckless decisions that took me on the journey of a lifetime. Beckham was mostly to blame for my recklessness. Gorgeous, clever, undeniably charming Beck barreled into my life as if it were his mission to make sure I never took living for granted. He showed me that there were no boundaries, rules were for the spineless, and a kiss was supposed to happen when it was least expected.
Beck was the plot twist that took me completely by surprise. Two months before I met him, death was knocking at my door. I’d all but given up my last scrap of hope when suddenly, I was given a second chance at life. This time around, I wasn’t going to let it slip through my fingers.
We set out on a road trip with nothing to lose and no guarantees of tomorrow.
Our road trip was about young, reckless love. The kind of love that burns bright.
The kind of love that no road-map could bring me back from.
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Sneak peek into:
Kitchen Promises
(Riverside Novel #3)
by Brooke Cumberland
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Twitter @blcumberland
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Chapter One Excerpt
Drake walked in wrapped in only a towel. The toast I was bringing to my mouth suddenly dropped from my fingers as my eyes roamed over his perfectly toned body. My eyes followed down to his perfect V that went just below the towel.
“Breakfast in bed and a show? I’m one lucky gal,” I teased, leaning back against the headboard enjoying the view.
“Someone sounds like they are feeling better.” He smiled.
“Well, I for sure am now.”
“Really? Well, perhaps I should take advantage of that.” He grinned, slowly unwrapping the towel from around his waist. I smirked as I watched him tease me, putting on a show as he finally released the towel. I watched it fall to the ground. I let my eyes wander up and down his body—appreciating every single chiseled curve of muscle.
“It’s not nice to tease,” I reminded him. “You better put out or get out.”
“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty,” he quipped, laughing. “I can’t decide if I love or hate your pregnancy hormones.” He grinned. It was true—I had a love/hate relationship with them as well. On top of always wanting to sleep and eat, I also wanted sex—all the time. Not that Drake minded, but some days, I was all over the place. I felt like I had no control over them. They were beginning to drive me mad.
“Can you be a little late for work today?” I asked, placing the tray of food on the bedside table. I didn’t take my eyes off him as I watched him walk over to the bed. “I’d hate for you to get into trouble.” I grinned.
“I could probably weasel my way out of it with the boss.”
“You are the boss.”
“I know.” And with that, he made his way on top of me, brushing the covers off. “I think I can spare a few minutes…” He pressed his lips across my jaw, slowly moving to my neck. He bit it gently, making a moan escape my mouth at his touch and eagerness. “…for you.”
His hands slid up my sides, taking my shirt up with them. I arched my neck to the side, giving him better access as the sensations riveted through me.
I reached down, pressing him harder into me. I felt his hardness against me, making me desperate and needy for him.
The hormones made my body respond to him so much more—not that I didn’t before—but it was magnified. It was intensified, and I felt desperate to have him.
“Screw the foreplay. I need to have you right now,” I demanded, pushing his body harder against mine.
“Such a romantic, aren’t you?” I could feel him smiling against my neck as he continued softly kissing.
“I mean it. I’m going to explode,” I breathed out rapidly. Just his touch could undo me completely.
“Alright, hold on, baby.” He lowered his body and in one swift motion, slid my panties down. I wasn’t looking for romance right now. I needed him just as much as I needed to breathe.
I threw my shirt over my head and unclasped my bra. It was still weird seeing my body naked with the way it was changing so fast, but it was also a constant reminder of the love Drake and I shared.
Instead of pressing into me like I wanted him to, he tenderly laid kisses over my stomach and in between my breasts. He was torturing me. He knew it, too. I was practically grinding against him, yet he refused to give in.
“Baby, please,” I moaned out desperately.
“I can’t help it. You are just so beautiful. You have the most beautiful pregnant glow.” He continued to lay kisses around my bump, slowly, taking his time.
“That’s great,” I huffed, cupping his face up to look at me. “I’m going to handcuff you to this bed and straddle you if you don’t—”
He forced two fingers inside me before I could finish what I was saying. I moaned loudly at the surprise sensation, arching my hips up to greet his fingers.
“You’re feisty when you’re desperate.” He laughed as he worked his fingers in and out of me, hitting the perfect spot over and over.
I ignored him and grabbed the bedrail behind me, arching my body up to him as I needed and wanted to feel him inside me.
“How badly do you need it, baby?” Drake whispered with a hint of humor in his voice.
“You know how badly,” I snapped, unable to open my eyes. Still, I could hear the amusement in his tone. He enjoyed torturing me and secretly loved it.
“Say it,” he demanded, pressing harder into me, twisting his wrist, and practically taking all the air out of my lungs. “Say what you need, baby.”
“I need you! I n
eed you inside, right now. God, I swear, I’ll do anything,” I pleaded, willing to do just about anything to get what I wanted from him.
“Anything for my sweet girl,” he hummed, lowering his lips to where his fingers were. He sucked hard, leaving no time for me to retaliate. My back arched, enjoying the sensations that released inside of me. My body shivered with pleasure, unable to control my own breathing as I moaned out.
He lifted his head and covered my body with his. I watched as he licked his fingers, moaning out pleasurable sounds.
“Keep your hands up,” he ordered. I continued hanging onto the bedrail, tightening my grip as he finally pushed himself into me. The feeling was overwhelming as I took him all in, finally feeling full and satisfied.
He leaned down and kissed me gently as he rocked his hips into me. His breathing quickened as the air blew over my lips. His mouth wandered to my ear, blowing and licking over my lobe, making it harder to leave my hands up. I wanted to dig my nails into him and drive him insane as much as he was doing to me. He lowered his hand and cupped my breast, squeezing gently. I screamed out his name, pushing my breast into his hand urgently, desperately needing the release.
He lowered his face and took it into his mouth, swirling his tongue around my peaked nipple. He grabbed one leg and placed it on top of his shoulder, allowing him to get deeper inside me. That was enough to set me off. I screamed out, not holding back as I greeted his hips with mine, soaking up every pleasurable second.
It wasn’t long before Drake did the same, milking his own release as he grinded into me. He lay on top of me as we both tried to get ahold of our breathing, panting into each other.